February 2012

Over the
first decades of the twentieth century, dozens of pioneers attempted vertical
flight. Some saw the weaknesses of airplane flight in requiring dedicated
landing areas, while others viewed rotorcraft as a way of distinguishing
themselves as designers. By the standards of true flight – sustained, stable
and controllable over ranges of speed and altitude – these machines were not
successful. Yet, they demonstrated the potential feasibility of vertical flight
and gave a second generation of engineers and designers hope so that in the
1920s, rotary wing pioneers could make critical strides in rotor design,
propulsion, control and stability, soon ushering in an era of practical
rotorcraft.